Ponyboy and the chocolate factory
by Valentine Thornton
Summary: What happens to a dream deferred?    Does it dry up- like a raisin in the sun?   Or fester like a sore- And then run?   Does it stink- like rotten meat?   Or crust and sugar over- like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags- like a heavy load...
1. Trip to the Dx station

**im sorry i just couldnt help myself i had to do this or i would totally die!**

**this is chapter one. dont kill me because im so stupid! please review.**

When I stepped out into the bright sunlight, from the dullness of my rundown looking house, I had only two things on my mind:

Not getting jumped by the Soc's, and saving up enough money to buy me a Wonka Bar.

On my way down to the DX station where Soda works, I passed the old chocolate factory. And there standing at the gate was a strange old man pushing big cart full of strange objects. He spoke with an Irishman's tongue.

"Up the air in mountains

Down the rushing glens,

You dare not go a hunting

For fear of little lens.

You see, nobody ever goes in and nobody ever comes out."

When he finished the old gate opened up, and he began pushing the cart inside.

"Weird ass" I mumbled to myself. I continued walking on to the DX station.

…

I pushed open the door and walked into the DX and stared at what I saw.

Soda, Steve, Twobit, and a bunch of customers were bunched around the radio.

"Uh guys, what are you-" but I was cut off by Steve.

"Shut up pony we're trying to listen to the damned radio!"

No matter how much I wanted to slap him I was even more curious about what was so interesting on the radio. So I walked over and joined their huddle and turned up the volume.

"… _Wonka Bars are being shipped out all over the world and hidden among those billions of Wonka Bars are five golden tickets. If you are to find one of them you will get a tour of the factory and the grand prize: a life time supply of Chocolate…" _

I got excited. If I could have anything in the word to eat, it would be chocolate_, _and lots of it.

"Hey Soda, you think I have a chance to find one?" Sodapop turned and gave me an encouraging look.

"One." Soda scoffed "I'm counting on you to find all five! Then we could have all the chocolate to ourselves and those damn Soc's won't know what hit them!"

There's fire in his eyes. He really thinks I can do it!

Suddenly Darry walks in. I think he heard the whole thing. Darry never did like contests. He' thinks they're like gambling, and Darry hates gambling. In gambling if you lose, you lose everything you have. In a contest if you lose you lose your pride. And your dreams are smashed. Darry's motto is:

You gotta know when to hold em'

Know when to fold em'

Know when to walk away and

Know when to run. Well right now I wish that I had the guts to run because Darry looked like he was about to blow a gasket.

"Don't get his hopes up high Sodapop! What about if he doesn't win? Huh? What will happen? where will we be? What will we be doing? I'll tell you what we'll be doing!"

Darry's face turns bright red as if there was a volcano in his head. I looked over at Steve and couldn't help but laugh. He was getting scared!

"WE'LL BE SWEEPING UP A LITTLIE BOY'S SHATTERED DREAMS!"

What the hell is wrong with Darry? He's treating me like I'm some fragile piece of cargo. Like I need to be protected at all times, otherwise…

I'll fall and break.

I was getting angry now. Why am I always being protected? They always treat me like a little kid. Well, I'm not a kid any more. I'm sick and tired of always being treated like the fucking baby of the gang. I almost thirteen damn it. I want respect! I'm going to get me one of those Golden tickets. Or my name isn't: Ponyboy Michael Curtis!

I stormed out of the DX station. I'm going to get me a Golden Ticket if it kills me!

I was suddenly reminded of a song my mom used to sing to me, when I was feeling down.

Cheer up pony

Give me a smile

What happened to that smile I used to know?

Don't you know your grin,

Has always been,

My sunshine

Let that sunshine show

Chin up pony,

No need to frown

Deep down you know, the world is still you toy

When the world gets heavy

Never pitter –partum

Up and at em' boy

Some day sweet as a song,

Pony's lucky day will come along

Till the day you got to stay in strong pony,

Up on top, is right where you belong.

Look up pony

You'll see a star

just follow it

And keep your dreams with you

Pretty soon the sky is going to clear up pony

Cheer up pony

Do,

Cheer up pony

Just be glad, you're you.

I'm going to make my dreams reality.

review right now or die!


	2. Omelets made by Johnny

**WHA? AN UPDATE? WHAT IN THE... **

**You're probably wondering why I chose that poem for the summary. Don't worry, it'll make sense in chapter four! (Anybody else notice I have a bad problem with sticking to the original storyline?)**

* * *

It's been three weeks since the big announcement.

Three weeks since I bowed to keep trying even if kills me.

Three weeks since I first started hustling, bootlegging, drug dealing and stealing to buy Wonka Bars so I'd have a bigger chance at winning than other greasers.

Three long hard weeks and nothing to show for it but 202 empty Wonka wrappers in an enormous box under my bed, a house full of druggies awaiting their next shipment of crack, and two very hardworking, stressed out brothers who continue to grow more and more suspicious each day. -Sometimes I feel guilty about making more money than Darry, but every night when he's asleep I sneak into his room and slip some cash into his wallet.-

Nobody, not even Johnny knows about what I do. Nobody but Dally. Dally knows about the bootlegging because, well, Dallas Winston knows everything. When Dallas first found out I had begged him not to tell my brothers, but he just laughed and walked away saying, "Boy I aint no snitch!" from that day on he had been helping me out with the bootlegging. He got me a lot more business than I had before and he even helped me hustle a couple of pool games. He always takes 55% of all profits that he helps me earn, but it's only fair, if it weren't for him I wouldn't even have that little bit of money.

Dally and I worked together for about a week and a half before I told him why I was doing this.

"I thought you were doin' all this stuff to help your big brother out with the bills," his expression goes from shocked to angry and disgusted. "Your motive is foul. Me and Johnny, we have no choice but to live and do things like this. You on the other hand choose to do this just so you can go to that stupid chocolate factory." After Dally said that I was on my own again.

Johnny doesn't know what I do, but he keeps asking me. And every time he asks I feel guilty about not telling him. I wish I could tell him, I really do, but I'm not sure how he'd react if he knew I was doing illegal things like selling drugs and stealing, he might tell my brothers on me…

…

I opened the top drawer of my dresser, lifted up some of my shirts and took a Wonka bar off the top of the stack I had. I lay the shirts back on top of the stack and closed the drawer.

I sat down on my bed and stared at the packaging of the Wonka. A couple of weeks ago Soda and I had opened the first one together. He said for a special occasion like this you need a special way to open the candy. He said to do it slowly, gently undress the chocolate and open one side of the foil at a time. For a while I did open them like that, but then around the 50th Wonka bar I opened it just seemed like a waste of time.

I ripped the red paper off the candy, revealing the silver foil. I tore open the silver paper, not even bothering to do it the way Soda showed me. Figures… no golden ticket… I'm still not gonna give up though…

I dropped all the paper on the floor and stood up, walking to the door. I opened the door and walked out, taking a bite of the delicious chocolate as I walked down the stairs.

When I entered the kitchen I saw Steve sitting at the table hogging down a great big omelet, it had cheese and bacon bits oozing out of the sides onto the plate.

I looked over at the stove and saw Johnny at the stove holding a spatula. I watched in wonder as Johnny stuck the spatula into the skillet and flipped over a big yellow egg-pancake. He reaches into a small bowl he had near the stove and takes out a small handful of cheese, sprinkling it all over the egg-pancake and puts jalapenos in before using the spatula to fold it in half.

I walked over and taped him on the shoulder. He turns around after sliding the omelet onto a plate.

"Mornin' Pony,"

"Mornin'… I didn't know you could cook." Johnny smiles and shrugs his shoulders like it was no big deal, when really it was. These omelets looked like something from a cooking show.

"So, Uhm, who taught you how to cook so well?" Johnny picks up the plate and puts it on the table across from where Steve sat, stuffing his face like a dog.

"My mother taught me a long time ago, back when she didn't drink so much. She still teaches me a few things every now and then, you know, on one of her good days.- DALLY, COME AND GET IT!- That's usually how we get to spend time together, cooking."

Dallas walks in, sees the omelet on the table and, I swear, he starts drooling.

Johnny walks over to Dally and hands him a fork.

"There you go Dally, just the way you like it. Tons of cheese and jalapeño peppers." Johnny stood there looking pleased with himself as Dally hungrily dove into the omelet.

Johnny walks back over to the stove and cracks two eggs into a bowl just as I heard Twobit call me into the living room.

"Ponyboy, wait," I turned around and looked at Johnny. "How do you want your omelet?"

I thought he'd never ask.

"Tomatoes and cheese, a lot of cheese, in fact I want the entire omelet to be made of cheese!"

Johnny laughs and started whisking the eggs. "We'll see."

I walked into the living room, finally remembering the chocolate bar I was holding- I guess Johnny's omelets were too much of a shock.

When I got into the living room I was surprised to see Twobit watching something besides _Mickey Mouse. _

How out of Character, Twobit was sitting in the living room watching the news.

"Twobit… are you gonna be okay? There are real people on the TV screen and yet you seem to be awake,"

Twobit turns around in Darry's big armchair with a look of terror on his face.

"Ponyboy, I think the question is: are _you_ gonna be ok?"

"Twobit, what are you-"

"THEY FOUND THE LAST GOLDEN TICKET!"

"WHAT?"

* * *

**OMG! I THOUGHT I WOULD NEVER BE ABLE TO UPDATE THIS!**

**REVIEW! XD)))**


End file.
